Victoria Park BIA Releases Independent Study on Green Line Elevated Alignment

Study Identifies Critical Business, Community and Urban Design Considerations That Should Be Addressed Before Elevated Rail Infrastructure Advances

CALGARY, June 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Victoria Park Business Improvement Area (BIA) has released an independent study examining the potential impacts of an elevated Green Line alignment along 10 Avenue S.W. and 2 Street S.W. through Victoria Park and downtown Calgary.

The report, authored by transit researcher Dr. Willem Klumpenhouwer, examines the potential impacts of an elevated rail alignment through a major urban commercial district, and has identified several critical considerations that should be addressed before project planning and design move forward.

“Major transportation projects have the potential to shape communities for generations,” said David Low, Executive Director, Victoria Park BIA. “This study highlights the importance of carefully evaluating not only the transportation outcomes, but also the impacts on businesses, residents and public spaces within the commercial corridor.”

The study reviews projects in Vancouver, Tokyo, The Hague and Bangkok, where elevated rail was constructed within wider corridors, between 30 and 45 metres wide. It notes that a wider right-of-way allows for more flexible column spacing and activation space beneath structures. By comparison, the 10 Avenue corridor is approximately 20 metres wide, creating constraints on similar design approaches.

The report concludes that the absence of comparable examples limits the ability to reliably predict the long-term commercial impacts of an elevated alignment on a corridor like 10 Avenue and notes that cities frequently choose underground alignments in dense urban corridors, citing Vancouver's SkyTrain as an example.

While the study does not provide specific recommendations on alignment options, it identifies several key areas that warrant further assessment and consideration as part of future project planning. Construction disruption is identified as the most consistently documented impact across projects reviewed. The report references Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown project as a cautionary example, noting that more than 300 businesses closed during a prolonged 15-year construction period.

Based on the study’s findings, the Victoria Park BIA is calling on the City of Calgary to undertake several steps before any alignment decision is finalized, including:

1. Conduct a pre-construction commercial baseline survey of the 10th Avenue corridor;
2. Complete a corridor-scale urban design study prior to detailed engineering proceeding on any elevated option;
3. Establish construction-phase business support measures before disruption begins; and
4. Require independent urban design peer review of any elevated alignment proposal, with specific attention to the corridor’s unique 20-metre right-of-way.

"Major infrastructure projects should enhance a city, not create avoidable consequences that are only addressed after the fact,” says Low. “The findings in this study highlight critical gaps that we encourage the city to examine before detailed planning proceeds. Businesses deserve certainty, communities deserve transparency, and decision-makers deserve the information necessary to fully understand the long-term trade-offs associated with an elevated rail alignment."

The study is intended to inform ongoing discussions regarding future transit planning and support a balanced, evidence-based evaluation process that considers both transportation objectives and broader community interests. While the Green Line is supported, it should be delivered in a way that does not compromise downtown.

The full report is available at https://www.victoriapark.org/planning-policy-guide

ABOUT VICTORIA PARK

Formed in 1997, The Victoria Park Business Improvement Area (Victoria Park BIA)* is a not-for-profit business association that represents more than 380 merchants and businesses in the community of Victoria Park. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, the BIA works to promote and improve the area and is an advocate on important community issues. Victoria Park is located in the Beltline just south of the downtown core, with boundaries roughly extending east to west from the Elbow River to 4th St SW, and north to south from the CPR tracks near 10th Ave to 17th Ave S.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Rebecca Hurl
Brookline Public Relations
403-818-6918
rhurl@brooklinepr.com

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